Tigerclaw's Fury/Chapter 2
Chapter description :The air beneath the pine trees grows colder and the ground beneath Tigerclaw starts to feel damp. He licks it to get some moisture, and heaves himself to his paws. He knows he can't stay where he is, since ThunderClan's evening patrol will come soon. Tigerclaw doesn't want to see pity in his Clanmates eyes if they find him still in their territory, wounded and exhausted. The tom begins to walk, wincing with every step as he goes deeper into the pine trees. He stays away from Twolegplace and their curious kittypets, instead heading for a wooden den behind a tall fence of pine trunks. He squeezes through the fence, leaving a smear of blood on the post. The tom crawls through a rabbit-sized hole into the wooden den. He smells a faint hint of mouse, but he is too weak to pursue it. :Tigerclaw asks himself if this is how he'll live his life now, huddled on bare dirt and starving to death. His belly rumbles, but he ignores it and presses his cheek deeper into the soil. He knows that sleep is the most important thing, and as soon as he is rested, he can hunt, and then begin to destroy ThunderClan. Tigerclaw dreams that he is on fire, the claw marks Fireheart leaving him scorched. Tigerclaw thrashes around, but sleep keeps him into a semi-conscious daze. He can vaguely sense the light filtering into the den, but is sucked back into a blur of pain and tortured sleep. Tigerclaw dreams that he is surrounded by claws and teeth snapping and clawing at him. A tiny voice inside his head says to not let Fireheart and Bluestar catch him, or he will be crushed like a bug. :Tigerclaw yowls, then wakes up. He lays on his back, writhing, and breathless. His stomach burns like fire, and he realizes that his claws are extended, but clogged with dirt. He crawls from beneath the den to a pale dawn, and the brown tom wonders how long he'd been there. Tigerclaw's vision blurs momentarily, and he shakes his head to clear it; his mouth is sore and dry, comparing it to what he'd feel like if he swallowed feathers. The brown tabby staggers over to a puddle, forcing himself to drink the blackened water. :Along a stretch of land beside a fence, a blackbird pecks around; Tigerclaw gathers his muscles, testing each leg as he creeps toward the bird. The scarred rogue feels weak, but checks his stomach wounds, seeing the marks crusting over with scabs. He knows not to stretch much, but thinks that he'll rather die from hunting instead of willingly starving. However, when Tigerclaw draws closer, he accidentally steps on pine needles, which crackle, and send the bird flying off. The brown tom sits down, utters a curse, then begins cleaning off his chest fur. :He spits, turns, and stares into the shadows beneath the Twoleg den. He recalls last night's difficulty sleeping, since he heard mice scurrying around. The sturdy toms slides underneath it, feeling his gut wound strain with the motion, but makes it beneath. The soil rises in one corner, yet he carries on for a section with thick shadows, and his whiskers quiver as he picks up the mice smell. Tigerclaw pauses, his amber eyes adjusting to the dim light, before taking a dash at one mouse, who stares at him, frightened. He closes his jaws around the small creature, and feels a satisfying crunch as his teeth sink into its flesh. :Tigerclaw buries his muzzle into the fresh-kill, but doesn't find the need to thank StarClan. The mouse sends strength coursing through his limbs, and the dark tom emerges into the light, blinking against it. He shakes soil off his pelt, then squeezes through wooden posts, heading off through the pine trees, gritting his fangs against his stomach pain. Tigerclaw is outside ThunderClan territory now, but there's no thick undergrowth, so if a ThunderClan patrol comes across the outcast, he'll be spotted. :The red walls and signs of Twolegplace loom over the trees; the trunks begin to thin out, while brambles and ferns begin to snag at Tigerclaw's paws. He lowers his head, sniffing around, and eventually catches the smell of the ShadowClan cats who fought with him. His mind's voice rebukes what he had thought, calling those cats frightened kits. The voice then accuses Tigerclaw of being a coward, but he protests silently that he had no choice, and since his ties with ThunderClan are over, he'll change. :The broad-shouldered cat follows the smells along the Thunderpath, and finds a splash of blood, belonging to his old allies. He hopes none aren't that badly hurt, since he doesn't need to nurse anyone. The dark brown tabby believes the strays are already weak, and continues onwards, but keeps one ear pricked toward ThunderClan's territory. The sun is high overhead, and the shadows cast by it are barely enough to hide Tigerclaw. The tabby thinks his former Clanmates must be resting and sharing fresh-kill after early patrols; he forces not to tresspass, unwilling to be caught stealing. :The rumble of the Thunderpath drifts through the trees, and the stench of scared cats is masked by the oily stretch of stone. Tigerclaw heads through brambles, guessing that if he was afraid and wounded, his cover would be thickets with plenty of shelter. Just then, the brown tom hears small whispers ahead, and stiffens. One voice says that someone is coming, and another suggests a ThunderClan patrol found them. Tigerclaw jumps, bursting through the wall with a yowl, and pairs of eyes turn onto him, horrified. :As the cats recognize him, their terror fades, and Clawface exclaims that Tigerclaw survived. The large tom retorts it's no thanks to the scrawny rogue, but Blackfoot, a big white tom with one black paw, protests against the tabby. Tigerclaw thinks of Blackfoot, the cast out deputy like Clawface: loyal to the tyrant Brokenstar, before the old leader taken prisoner and him being chased off. Tangleburr remarks that it's nice to see Tigerclaw, but he knows she's lying, her lie showing in the way her fur spikes down her back. All the strays, even Snag, watch with wary eyes, seemingly frightened to see him risen from the dead. :He is aware his former allies know they failed, resulting in the great fighter being beaten by old cats and queens. He breathes in the fear scent coming off them, and feels a thrill. Tigerclaw struggles not to unsheathe his claws and rip their ears off for abandoning him, as the fearful strays are his only allies for now. He looks around, searching for one cat: Mowgli, and asks where he is. He had found the brown tom in Twolegplace, and seen the potential in the rogue's hard gaze and well-shaped muscles. The striped tom recalls making a vow to Mowgli, and how the scrawny cat listened to them hungrily. :Stumpytail shrugs, and tells Tigerclaw that Mowgli was clawed badly by Brackenpaw, and he hasn't been found since. The dark tom curls his lip, hoping he didn't chose his allies wrong if they are beaten by apprentices, but knows Mowgli might need more training, to use his strength to its fullest. Clawface moves forward, offering a piece of meek fresh-kill, and lays it down for Tigerclaw to eat. The scarred outcast eyes it, wondering if he'll admit to weakness and eat it, or take advantage of the cats willing to feed him. The voice in his head returns, asking if Tigerclaw wishes to be as weak as Bluestar, so he bends down, and eats the meat. :After finishing, he looks up, questioning whose the least wounded, since they need more prey. Tangleburr steps forward, replying that she was bitten, but it's healing fast, and notes that Snag's thick fur protected him. The broad tabby orders the two to go hunting and return with two fresh-kill pieces; Tangleburr's eyes widen, but she doesn't protest, and leaves the space with Snag. Tigerclaw feels pleased, believing that the gray-and-brown she-cat is learning by listening to his commands. :Blackfoot pads forward, hesitantly reminding him of his stomach injuries, and the white tom sniffs the tabby's scarlet flank fur. The dark brown rogue snaps at him, saying it's nothing, and Blackfoot goes on to talk about ThunderClan. He admits that he thinks they fought better than expected, and Clawface nods. The white tom mentions how well Fireheart battled, and says that despite his kittypet roots, he's learned how to fight like a true warrior. :Tigerclaw snaps that Fireheart is a kittypet, and to never refer to the ginger tabby as a warrior. He scorns Bluestar for taking him in, then rants about teaching his cats how to fight properly, gather more cats, and vows that in due time, he will kill Fireheart. Characters Major }} Minor *Blackfoot *Stumpytail *Tangleburr *Snag }} Mentioned *Mowgli *Brackenpaw *Fireheart *Bluestar }} Notes and references Category:Chapter subpages Category:Tigerclaw's Fury Category:Novellas